Start the run with a stretch

If you see me out running with the pack, it's not necessary to stop and ask me if I need assistance.

Jo Ann Kirby

If you see me out running with the pack, it's not necessary to stop and ask me if I need assistance.

Really, I'm fine.

I know I have a tortured look on my face, but by run's end I'll be feeling much better. Maybe even smiling.

For me, the first 15 minutes of a long run is the time when everything hurts the most.

Afterward, however, I feel great. What passes for muscles have loosened up, my stride is a bit longer, I can breathe more easily and I feel energetic.

Maybe I just need to warm up properly before I work out?

The coaches of the nine-week Fleet Feet Half-Marathon Training Program that I'm taking part in lead us in stretches both before and after a run. But for some reason, I'm feeling the pain more starting out on these group workouts than on the days I run alone.

I call Chip Hanker, a physical therapist and director of Delta Physical Therapy in Lodi, for advice.

"If your group run starts at 7 in the morning, maybe show up a little early and do a bit of walking first," Hanker recommends. "Then do the stretching with the group. Another trick is to stretch about five minutes into your run."

Hanker advises caution because you can tear or pull the very muscles you are trying to stretch if you bounce or stretch too quickly.

"It's actually a better time to stretch when your muscles are warmed up," Hanker said. "Stretching cold muscles, you have a bigger chance of injury. So you want to be careful."

Every week, the Fleet Feet coaches have been e-mailing us tips. This week's tips from Janet Dial and Karen Diekmeyer focused on proper techniques for stretching.

And at our Wednesday speed workout, Diekmeyer gives us a verbal pop quiz on the stretching tips we received.

"How long should you hold a stretch?" she asks. "20 to 30 seconds."

Diekmeyer tells us to be careful stretching when our muscles are cold to avoid muscle tears before she leads us through a set of movements.

Diekmeyer agrees that stretching a few minutes into a run is good advice as is warming up before stretching. But she offers some insight into why I might be grimacing on the group runs.

"When you're running on your own, you're not pushing yourself," Diekmeyer, a retired PE. teacher. "When you come out here with us, we're motivating you to work harder."

The stretching tips the coaches e-mail us are easy to follow. Here are some basic daily stretches Dial and Diekmeyer recommend for maximum flexibility:

» Head circles: Rotate in one direction, then do the same in the opposite direction.